WeirdGuySeattle,
Am I trying to save lindenii from extinction? What I'm trying to do is facilitate the adaptive radiation of Dendrophylax. What I want is more, rather than less, species of Dendrophylax. I want a million different species of Dendrophylax growing on trees from Florida to California and from Canada to Argentina.

Right now there are around 30,000 species of orchids. Did there always used to be 30,000 species? Of course not. At one point there was only 1 species. Nature decided that she wanted more orchid species. Nature always wants more species. So do I. I want each and every planet in the universe to have gazillions of different orchid species.

Nature and I both want the universe to have the maximum amount of life possible.

You need to take a step back and realize that you're not creating "species," but hybrids. I've seen no evidence of naturally occurring hybrids (read: new species) of Dendrophylax lindenii and funalis, thus it may be for a reason that they're not found in nature. It could be that the hybrids created are sterile, or that they're unattractive to pollination. Or it could be something entirely different that makes it unsuitable for wild growth. All I know is that if it was possible for it to become a new species, it would most likely have happened in Jamaica already and be accepted. It's a good idea in theory, but in practice it may not be meant to happen.

You need to take a step back and realize that you're not creating "species," but hybrids. I've seen no evidence of naturally occurring hybrids (read: new species) of Dendrophylax lindenii and funalis, thus it may be for a reason that they're not found in nature. It could be that the hybrids created are sterile, or that they're unattractive to pollination. Or it could be something entirely different that makes it unsuitable for wild growth. All I know is that if it was possible for it to become a new species, it would most likely have happened in Jamaica already and be accepted. It's a good idea in theory, but in practice it may not be meant to happen.

The hummingbirds sure love it, but they haven't managed to successfully pollinate it, and neither have I, so I'm guessing that it is sterile. My main goal was to try and create a good host for smallish epiphytes.

If a hybrid is sterile then its proliferation in nature is a moot point. It only makes sense to argue against the introduction of hybrids if you assume that they aren't sterile.

Regarding the absence of Dendrophylax hybrids in nature... did you know that humans are hybrids? We are a species, but we are also hybrids.

I'm pretty sure that some, or all, of the Dendrophylax species are also hybrids to some degree.

With asexual reproduction the offspring are copies, except they aren't always perfect copies, thanks to mistakes/mutations. These small differences eventually resulted in sexual reproduction, which yielded much bigger differences... and voila! Here we are.

Evolution is much faster with sexual reproduction than with asexual reproduction. More difference means more ground is covered, which means more progress.

With this in mind, in terms of facilitating evolution, which is better... selfing an orchid or crossing it?

If you try crossing a Dendrophylax and a Cattleya then you're not going to get any difference. What about if you try and cross a Dendrophylax and a Microcoelia? Or if you try and cross a Dendrophylax and a Harrisella?

We all agree that inbreeding is a bad thing, but if you understand why this is, then you should appreciate that optimal outbreeding is the best thing.

Eventually we will have some affordable and easy to use technology that will help us make really good guesses about what counts as "optimal" outbreeding. In the meantime we can simply try some reasonable crosses and see what works and what doesn't.

Nearly a decade ago I sowed some Laelia anceps seeds on my tree and quite a few germinated. This year the largest seedling bloomed for the first time. I collected the pollen and used it to try and pollinate... other Laelia anceps? Nope. I used it to try and pollinate other species and hybrids. Ideally I'd end up with a variety that I wouldn't have to pollinate... or water. It's a nice dream. In reality I should end up with a variety that is marginally better adapted to SoCal's conditions.

If eventually we end up with a variety that is perfectly adapted to SoCal's conditions, then it could easily escape from cultivation. Would this be a bad thing? If so, then send the memo to everybody who grows orchids outdoors in SoCal. Let them know to stop giving California the opportunity to select for marginally better adapted varieties.